Sharon Creech is a best-selling author for young adult readers, and her books are enjoyed in both classroom settings and for leisure reading for three important reasons: -She shows great respect for teens through giving attention to the voices of teen protagonists, creating adventures in which teens grown socially and emotionally as a result of a journey. She captures the language of her characters, including dialects from the hollers of West Virginia and the mountains of Switzerland, and introduces figurative language and vocabulary to enrich her readers' experience during and after their time with her books. With humor and gentleness, she provides readers with a sense of hope. After an introductory chapter and biographical sketch, there is one chapter per volume that examines the characters, plot, setting, and themes in each work. This volume will be useful to young adults wanting to delve deeper into the worlds of Creech's characters, or literature professionals studying Creech's works.

Pamela Sissi Carroll A former teacher of middle and high school English language arts, Pamela Sissi Carroll has devoted her attention, as a professor of English Education, to helping teachers, media specialists, and readers connect with young adult literature by studying the artistic qualities of the best books of the genre, by highlighting the ways that it can illuminate teens' social, emotional, and spiritual worlds, and by pointing to its potential for building reading skills while providing meaningful literary experiences for readers.Carroll, who has published books and articles on young adult literature, and who is the former editor of The ALAN Review, was named in 2006 as the University Distinguished Teaching Professor for Florida State University, where she has served as a faculty member since 1990. She edited Greenwood's Using Literature to Help Troubled Teens Cope with Societal Issues (1999).